House Speaker John Boehner also said he was 'deeply troubled by the comments ... regarding China’s reprehensible one-child policy, which has resulted in forced sterilizations and coerced abortions and should not be condoned by any American official.'

BENJAMIN MANN (CNA)

WASHINGTON (CNA) — A leading human-rights advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives says Vice President Joe Biden betrayed Chinese women and children by saying he “fully understood” the country’s one-child policy and was not “second guessing” it.

“The one child-per-couple policy is cruel, inhumane and the most egregious systematic attack on women ever,” said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., on Aug. 23. “For the vice president to publicly state that he fully understands the one-child policy is unconscionable.”

“He and all of us should be defending the women of China from this state-sponsored cruelty of forced abortion and forced sterilization, not supporting and enabling it.”

Biden made the remarks during his state visit to China at an Aug. 21 appearance at Chengdu’s Sichuan University. He was discussing the United States’ dilemma of paying for entitlement programs when the number of retirees exceeds the number of workers, a problem he said China shared.

“But as I was talking to some of your leaders, you share a similar concern here in China,” Biden said.

“Your policy has been one which I fully understand — I’m not second-guessing — of one child per family. The result being that you’re in a position where one wage earner will be taking care of four retired people. Not sustainable.”

The vice president’s remarks in Chengdu drew widespread criticism, particularly from pro-lifers and his political opponents.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said on Aug. 22 that he was “deeply troubled by the comments ... regarding China’s reprehensible one-child policy, which has resulted in forced sterilizations and coerced abortions and should not be condoned by any American official.”

On Aug. 23, the Daily Caller website reported that it received an email from Biden’s spokeswoman, Kendra Barkoff, stating that “the Obama administration strongly opposes all aspects of China’s coercive birth-limitation policies, including forced abortion and sterilization.”

Barkoff said Biden himself “believes such practices are repugnant.” She said his remarks were a way of “arguing against the one-child policy to a Chinese audience.”

In his response, Smith pointed out that the Obama administration’s record on China and population issues did not support Barkoff’s claim of “strong opposition.”

“This administration has long enabled this cruel policy by its silence and financial support for organizations like UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) that support the Chinese government’s brutal program,” Smith argued.

He also stressed the horror that the widespread population-control policy has caused.

“If a woman is caught pregnant without explicit government authorization to give birth, she is forced to abort,” Smith said. “Unwed mothers are all compelled to abort. Handicapped unborn children, if discovered, are killed by the state.”

“Ruinous fines ... jail, torture, property confiscation, loss of employment, education opportunities, housing and health care are all weapons aggressively used by the family-planning cadres to ensure compliance. No wonder over 500 Chinese women commit suicide each day in China.”

Smith said President Obama himself had “sold out” Chinese women and children in prior meetings with China’s president.

Obama, he asserted, “didn’t say a word about any of the human-rights crimes of Chinese President Hu Jintao when he visited Washington earlier this year; instead he hosted a state dinner for him.”

Due to the sin of omission, it appears that there is no consequence, nor is there any desire for fraternal correction, in regards to those persons who profess to be Catholic, while denying The Sanctity of Human Life from the moment of creation, and/or The Sanctity of Marriage and The Family, as God intended.

“Where have they taken our Lord.”

Unless proven otherwise, I will assume that nothing would prevent our Holy Father, Benedict, from stating that those persons who deny Christ’s Revelation in regards to The Sanctity of Human Life from the moment of conception, and/or The Sanctity of Marriage and The Family as God intended, are no longer in communion with Christ, and His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and thus should not present themselves to receive The Holy Eucharist, unless our Holy Father does not have free reign in The Vatican. God save our Holy Father, hopefully sooner, rather than later!

Posted by Bert on Friday, Oct, 24, 2014 10:37 AM (EDT):

And plenty of Catholics will still be able to find a way to rationalize voting for Biden in the future.

Posted by enness on Wednesday, Sep, 7, 2011 10:52 AM (EDT):

Biden thinks they want to be fed a line because they are Chinese? Is that “good enough” for them? Isn’t that pretty condescending? Well, his running mate referred to his own grandchild as “punishment” so it’s not that surprising, but that just puts the icing on the cake.

David: you’re welcome to disagree with any war the U.S. wages (including our involvement in Libya, which was initiated without the approval of Congress, but I guess that doesn’t count), but last time I checked there was no draft in this country—people have to opt in—so calling it murder is exaggeration at its worst. Also, I do not see the evil Republicans and Democrats wiring people’s mouths shut so they starve or anything like that. Nobody should be ‘compelled’ to steal. That is why charitable people such as Catholic sisters run food banks, no? If you want to ask yourself a worthy question, ask why their shelves are not overflowing.

Posted by Black on Thursday, Aug, 25, 2011 8:58 AM (EDT):

When you betray an innocence’s right to life you condemn every human being’s right to life. Communists – The Enemies of democracy the sworn enemy of the free world are dictating to the US on how to behave – Generations of heroes that fought and died for freedom for the very basic right to life must be turning in their grave at such betrayal - But then what do expect from Obama and Biden – Benedict Arnold lives

Posted by TJ on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 10:09 PM (EDT):

Joe Biden has had a history of saying the wrong thing.

Posted by jussep on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 9:56 PM (EDT):

the wh says many things , but the fact is oboma voted to have any child that survived an abortion to be killed . talk about hipocracy

Posted by Janice laire on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 8:22 PM (EDT):

What do you expect from a ‘token catholic vice-president’?

Posted by The last man on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 2:26 PM (EDT):

Maybe we need more bishops like Archbishop Chaput? We are bleeding people away from the Church because there are few Ordinaries speaking out against this horror,or if they do then they feel obligated to preach open borders. Since when did the Church advocate lawlessness as a solution to a problem?

Posted by David Carlon on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 2:18 PM (EDT):

Joe “Cafeteria Catholic” Biden’s comments are no surprise… Approximately 70% of women who have had abortions in this country confessed to being uh, Christian. There have been 60 Million abortions in the USA since Roe vs. Wade. There have been approximately 1 BILLION abortions throughout the world since the 1917 Communist Revolution in Russia… and here in the good old Christian USA, republicans continue to murder our children after they are born with their endless wars for profit… or starve and or compel their parents to steal to feed them because of corrupt republican (and democrat) corporatist welfare policies and tax codes that benefit only the godless, debauched, haughty, and scornful elites.

Biden’s remarks were disgusting, but predictable. Since when does a U.S. office holder who is a member of the Democratic party criticize anything the Chinese Communists do?

Posted by Nancy D. on Wednesday, Aug, 24, 2011 11:52 AM (EDT):

Hopefully, there will be a statement from the U.S.C.C.B., in regards to The Vice President’s remarks on China’s enforcement of a one child policy.

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